


Partners

by lilly_the_kid



Series: Bounty Hunters [2]
Category: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bounty Hunters, Anxiety, Cowboys, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Gay Cowboys, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Sharing a Bed, Torture, alternate universe - wild west
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:54:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24457762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilly_the_kid/pseuds/lilly_the_kid
Summary: Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth are bounty hunters. They've been partners for two years and a harmless looking wanted poster leads to a lot of trouble.Wild West Bounty Hunter AU
Relationships: Cliff Booth/Rick Dalton
Series: Bounty Hunters [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766509
Comments: 30
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to Bounty Law

"You're gonna regret you ever came after me, bounty hunter!" 

Cliff held up his hands. He smiled, trying to go for easy and unbothered. 

"Now, now, don't do anything you might regret, buddy."

The man holding the gun took one step closer to Cliff. 

"I'm not your buddy. You better believe that." He cocked his head to the side. "To be honest I'm a bit offended that a lowlife like you thinks he could come after me." He smirked. "Yeah, I know who you are. You're scum that kills women and pretends to be the good guy."

Cliff shrugged. "I never said I was a good guy." He took a careful step to the right. And another, forcing the other man to turn.

"Stop moving, what the hell do you think you- "

A shot rang out. The man yelled and grabbed his bleeding arm, his gun on the ground before him. 

Cliff grabbed the gun and aimed. 

"Now, come on. Nice and easy. Get down on the ground and don't move."

"I'm bleeding to death here!"

Cliff rolled his eyes. "No, you're not. Stop acting like a baby and get down on the ground before I make you."

The man glared at Cliff but complied.

"You ok, Cliff?" 

Rick walked up to them, rifle still in his hands, ready to fire if necessary.

"I'm fine. Cover me while I tie him up."

"We should be back in Silver City before nightfall." 

"Yeah," Cliff grabbed the man and hauled him to his feet. Then he threw him over his horse. Cliff petted the horse. "I think I'll keep this one."

"Sure," Rick replied and got on his horse. 

Cliff got on his own horse and they started towards Silver City.

"You're gonna regret this! I got people and you're no match for them, you bastards."

Cliff sighed. "I thought we'd covered this. Shut up. There's nothing you could say that would interest either one of us in any way. Right?"

"Right." Rick rolled a cigarette. He looked at Cliff. Cliff gave him a little nod and Rick handed the cigarette over. He rolled another one for himself.

"Oh, I'm sure I got some interesting stuff to say about you."

Cliff took a drag from his cigarette. "I doubt it."

"People might think you're just a couple of bounty hunters, but I know better."

Cliff looked over at Rick and smirked.

"Is that so?" Cliff fell back a bit until he was next to the man.

"You bet."

"That doesn't change the fact that we don't wanna listen to you yap all day. So shut up!" Cliff smacked him on the back of the head. "Or I'll gag you."

\-------------

They arrived in town shortly before dusk. 

"Got something for you." Cliff shoved the man into the sheriff's office. He stumbled against the desk and fell on the ground.

"You son of a bitch!"

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Sheriff Brady got up and glared at Cliff.

"I wasn't gonna say anything, but your job, I guess." 

Brady turned red and narrowed his eyes. "Well, he's right. You are a son of a bitch. I should lock you up right next to him."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Whoa, come on now, gentlemen." Rick walked passed Cliff and held out his hand. He put on his most charming smile and Brady grabbed his hand without really intending to. "My name's Rick Dalton, bounty hunter. This here," he pointed behind him towards Cliff. "Is my business partner, Cliff Booth. Now, he might seem a little rough, but I assure you, he's a professional. We both are."

Brady shook Rick's hand for real now. "Rick Dalton, the Rick Dalton. I heard about you." He smiled. He looked at Cliff and the smile faded. "Heard about him, too. Didn't realize he belongs to you." 

"We've been working together for two years now. Haven't really been around these parts in a while, though."

Rick let go of Brady's hand and gestured towards the man they'd brought in. "We got someone here for you. Why don't we put him in one of your cells and you give us the money and we'll be on our way."

Brady looked down and back up at Rick. 

"Yes, of course." He picked the man up and shoved him into one of the cells. He closed the cell door. Rick could see that his hands were shaking.

Brady turned back around. He went to his desk and took out a lockbox. He glanced up at Cliff. 

"I'm not gonna rob you." 

Brady's face went white.

Rick held up his hands. "Now, come on. Cliff here is just joking. We're not here to make trouble."

Brady took out some money and handed it to Rick. Rick counted it. 

"Perfect. That's all we're here for. Have a nice day." He tipped his hat and walked outside. Cliff shot Brady one more glance and went outside as well.

"Goddamnit, I can't take you anywhere," Rick said while he divided up the money. He held out a stack of bills and Cliff took them.

"I don't know what you want from me, I was delightful."

"Whatever you say. Wanna get a drink?"

"Sure."

\------------

"Hey. Hey!" Cliff pushed at Rick's arm.

"Ow, what the hell?"

"Are you even listening to me?" Cliff looked annoyed.

Rick blinked. "I'm sorry." He rubbed his face. "I'm tired." 

Cliff's expression immediately softened. It had been a long couple of days. That slippery bastard had been hard to find and they hadn't gotten a lot of sleep. 

"I'm sorry," he said. "We should get a room. Get some sleep. We can ride back tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure." Rick mumbled.

Cliff raised his eyebrows. Rick must be really tired, he thought. And drunker than he appeared. Otherwise he would make a fuss about getting a room. Rick didn't like taking risks like that. Two guys getting a room and so on. But Cliff didn't really give a damn. He was pretty sure that most people didn't care and even more people wouldn't even notice or think think twice about it. 

That's the amazing thing with most people. What they don't know they won't see. But he still usually respects Rick's concerns. Because he's not wrong in that it can be dangerous to be found out. Also, he's come to learn over the last two years that he'll do pretty much anything Rick wants. And he's fine with that.

"Ok, then," Cliff said and got up. "I'll take care of it. Just wait a moment."

He walked over to the bartender and asked for a room. "My brother's got a bit too much to drink. I'll better get him to bed," he said. 

The bartender nodded, clearly not interested at all. Which was good.

Cliff returned to the table. Rick was slumped over and already asleep. Cliff shook his shoulder. 

"Come on, get up." Rick flinched and even though he was almost snoring before his hand immediately went to his gun. Cliff grabbed his hand. "Woah, it's ok. Just me, buddy. Come on."

He helped Rick up and put his arm over his shoulder. Then he walked over to the stairs. Some stumbling and almost falling and a lot of cursing later he finally managed to open the door to their room and manhandled Rick inside.

He shut the door and pushed Rick on the bed. He looked at him for a while. 

The last two years had been the best years he had in a long time. Maybe they'd even been the best years of his life. He loved being a bounty hunter, having a purpose. Having a job he was good at. He loved not having to do it alone. And he loved Rick. He was no longer drifting around, strongarming people and going through the motions without giving a shit about anything. 

He was still strongarming people, but, well, not for good and noble reasons. He wasn't that much of a hypocrite to believe that. But at least he liked what he was doing now. And that's probably as good as it gets, he thought.

Right from the start when Rick had found him in those mountains he knew he was done for. He was still amazed that it had all worked out and that Rick loved him back. 

He pulled off Rick's boots, took off his hat and gun belt. Then he pushed and pulled until Rick was more less on one side of the bed. He took off his own boots, hat and gun belt and got into bed as well. 

He looked over at Rick who looked peaceful. But Cliff knew better. There was a constant struggle inside of him. Rick had the tendency to get lost in his own head sometimes. It could be after a particularly exhausting job, but it could also happen completely out of the blue. Well, it would appear to be out of the blue, but Cliff was sure there was some reason every time even if it wasn't obvious.

The first time Cliff had witnessed such an episode had been about a month into their, well, partnership. He still didn't know what else to call it, seemed accurate enough. They'd gone back to Cliff's little shack intending to wait for things to settle after Paley.

Maybe being out there in the middle of nowhere with just Cliff and Brandy and no real distraction had led to Rick getting worked up in his head. Cliff still didn't fully understand what happened during those moments. 

Back then Rick had gotten moody and withdrawn and had started to drink a lot more than usual. One evening Cliff had returned from a hunt to find Rick sitting in front of the shack with an empty bottle next to him. He hadn't moved or looked up when Cliff got closer and greeted him.

"What's wrong? You asleep with your eyes open or something?"

Rick still didn't move. Cliff started to feel uneasy. He slowly dismounted and walked towards him.

"You ok?"

Then Rick looked up and his eyes were red and it was obvious that he'd been crying. Cliff crouched down.

"Hey, come on. What's wrong? Was someone here? Are you hurt?" He reached out to check on Rick but Rick slapped his hands away. He mumbled something.

"What was that?"

Rick looked to the side.

"I thought you were g-gone for good," he said so softly Cliff hardly heard him.

Cliff felt his stomach turn. And he was also a bit angry, but he pushed that down. Rick was clearly hurting and getting worked up now wouldn't do anything. He also noticed the stutter. He hadn't heard that since that night in the hotel.

"Why would you think that?" He asked carefully. Looking at Rick, trying to read his face. He looked so lost. 

Rick shrugged. "I d-don't know. Why wouldn't you?"

Cliff exhaled and ran his hand through his hair. 

"Because I don't want to." He paused. "What makes you think I'd just up and leave?"

Rick shrugged again and there were new tears. "How should I know?"

Cliff leaned forward and pulled Rick into a hug. He felt Rick's tears on his neck. He held him for a while. His shirt colar was wet when Rick drew away. He wiped his face and looked at Cliff.

"I'm sorry. I d-don't know why I get like this."

"Don't be sorry. It's ok. Just know that you don't have to worry about me leaving. I mean it." He squeezed Rick's shoulder. Rick smiled, still wiping at his eyes.

Cliff grinned. "If I ever don't come back it's because I'm dead in a ditch somewhere. I hope you can take comfort in that."

Rick punched his arm. "You asshole! That's not comforting at all." But he was still smiling.

Over time Cliff had learned to deal with Rick's moods and fears. And for the most part it worked. They worked. 

Cliff threw an arm across Rick and drew him a bit closer. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

\------------


	2. Chapter 2

Rick woke up and his head was pounding. He groaned and slowly tried to sit up. He prepared himself and then opened his eyes. His headache got even worse.

"Oh my god," he mumbled. 

"How you doing?" 

Rick slowly turned his head until he saw Cliff who was looking annoyingly well and chipper.

"What do you think?" Rick ran a hand through his hair. He took in his surroundings and frowned. "And where the hell are we?"

"Silver City saloon."

"You got us a room here?"

Cliff held up his hands.

"Now, don't start with me. You were blackout drunk and I had to practically carry you here. It's not like you left me a choice." Cliff crossed his arms. "And besides, I asked if we should get a room and you said yes."

Rick huffed but didn't say anything. This was his own fault. He got overly anxious last night thinking about what the man they'd brought in said about them being more than just bounty hunters. And he'd gotten way more drunk than he should have. And he made things worse. Once again. Not really Cliff's fault.

He sighed. "I'm sorry. You're right."

"It's ok." Cliff looked a bit puzzled. He must have expected more of an argument, maybe even some shouting about how he had to be more careful. He seemed to wait for Rick to say something else. But when that didn't happen he gathered his things.

"I'm going to the stables, see about the horses. I still wanna keep the one that belonged to the bastard. Why don't you get ready and head down for a coffee. Or two or three." He smiled. 

Rick met his eyes and smiled as well. 

"Sure thing. See you then."

He watched as Cliff left the room. Then he let himself fall backwards on the bed again. 

\-----------

After he'd splashed some water on his face and had succesfully fought down the urge to throw up twice Rick felt ready to go downstairs. He went to the bar and ordered some coffee. He was debating whether he should risk getting something to eat when he heard a voice behind him.

"Well, if it isn't Rick Dalton! What brings you here you miserable bastard?"

Rick turned around and silently cursed as the motion sent another spike of pain through his already throbbing head. 

The man before him was grinning. He was big and broad with grey hair that almost reached his shoulders.

"Hey there, Randy," Rick said and took a step forward. They shook hands and Randy grabbed his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"Man, it's been a while. How you doing?"

Rick winced a bit at being shook. Randy let go of him and they both went back to the bar.

"Good. Mostly. My head is killing me right now, but that's my own fault," Rick said and took a sip of his coffee. "How about you? How's the missus?"

"Fine, fine. Business as usual. Fortunatelly the world never seems to run out of stupid assholes that need killing."

"That's true. Delivered one of those here yesterday. Fella who really liked robbing homesteads and lighting them on fire afterwards." Rick started roling a cigarette. "You here on business then?"

"That I am. Two guys who made a habbit out of robbing stagecoaches and always killing everyone. Heard they'd been seen around here recently." Randy ordered himself a drink. He looked at Rick.

"You know, it's a good thing I ran into you. I could use an extra gun for this one. Normally Janet and I would do this in our sleep, but I heard these two have already taken out two bounty hunters and well, better safe than sorry."

Rick nodded. "Sure thing. We'd be happy to help."

Randy narrowed his eyes. "We?"

Rick shot him a confused glace. "Yeah, me and Cliff."

Randy sighed and finished his drink. He signaled for the bartender to get him another.

"You still with that guy?" His tone was carefully neutral.

Rick lit his cigarette and took a drag. 

"Yeah, I am," he said, trying to sound calm and indifferent. He wasn't sure it was working. "Why?"

Randy held up his hands.

"Look, no offense. Your business is your business. I just don't like the guy."

"He's been watching my back for two years. And that's not gonna change." Rick scratched the back of his head. "He's reliable, he's loyal, he can handle himself and he's a great shot. What's the problem?"

"I don't doubt any of that. I just don't like him. And Janet doesn't like him either. Don't get me wrong, none of us are saints here. We all kill people for a living. But that guy killed a young woman just because he hated her father."

"That's not true. Come on, you believe that shit people are saying?"

Randy paused for a minute. "Yeah," he said after a while. "Yeah, I do. And Janet believes it too. And that alone would be reason enough me."

They stood at the bar in silence for a while. Rick smoking and Randy drinking.

"Still could use your help," Randy said eventually.

"But only my help," Rick said.

Randy shrugged. "It's up to you." He finished his drink. "We need to run some errands. Think about it. Meet us at the Sheriff's office around two if you decide to come." He paused. "Either way, it was good seeing you."

"Yeah, you too," Rick said, smiling weakly.

He put out his cigarette and finished his coffee. This was the only downside of being partners with Cliff. Other people didn't like him or were even afraid of him. Rick wasn't sure how the story had spread. Maybe it had just stuck back from when Paley was still actively looking for Cliff. Maybe his men had embellished it to put even more blame on Cliff after they took over the business. Frank had helped Cliff after all. Maybe he considered it payment. Rick wasn't sure.

The only thing he was sure of was that Cliff had told him the truth and that the young woman was safe and sound with her now probably husband. Still, Rick hated being looked at as the fool who falls for tall tales. And he hated that he constantly had to choose between Cliff and almost anyone he'd known for years.

He wanted to help Randy and Janet, though. They were still his friends and they'd always had his back in the past.

\-----------

Rick had finished his third coffee and even some eggs when Cliff came in. He sat down next to Rick and ordered something to eat.

"I had them saddle up our horses. All three," Cliff grinned. "That's a good saddle and I'm gonna keep it."

"That's great. You do that."

Cliff looked at Rick. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I am," Rick rolled another cigarette, anything to keep his hands occupied. 

"Ok," Cliff said. "I figure we can leave by early afternoon. We'd be home before midnight."

"About that," Rick lit his cigarette. "Randy and Janet are in town. They asked for my help." 

Cliff kept his face neutral. "I noticed that you said they needed your help. Not ours."

"That's right." 

"With a bounty, I presume."

Rick nodded.

"They do know we work together and that I'm damn good at it."

"They do. They don't care." Rick finally met Cliff's eyes. "I'm sorry. I tried to talk to Randy, but you know how they are."

Cliff sighed. "Yeah, I guess, I do."

"They're still my friends, though. Even if they act like assholes sometimes. I wanna help them."

"I figured you would. It's fine." Cliff slowly ate his breakfast. "You do that and I'll get my horses home. And check on Brandy. You'll get back when you get back." He looked at Rick. "Just be careful, ok? There are some sick fucks out there and I hate not being there with you."

Rick smiled. "I'll be fine. Randy and Janet know what they're doing."

"Who exactly are they after?"

"Some guys who have been robbing stagecoaches and killing all the passengers" 

Cliff narrowed his eyes. "That's messed up. Why would they need to kill all the passengers?"

Rick shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe they get off on it. Maybe they're assholes."

Cliff went back to finishing his breakfast. "Like I said, be careful. I don't like the sound of that."

"I will, I promise." Rick got up. "I should get going."

He looked at Cliff for a moment. He wanted to give a him a proper goodbye, a hug, hell a kiss if he was honest. But he knew that was impossible. Cliff seemed to be on the same page. He smiled at him, a bit sadly.

"I know, I know. See you at home."

"Yeah," Rick settled for patting Cliff's shoulder. Then he walked out of the saloon.

\----------

"Oh hey, you came," Randy greeted him. Janet turned around and smiled at him. Rick stopped his horse in front of the Sheriff's office.

"Good to see you, Rick."

"You, too. Janet."

"Ready to catch some scum?"

"As I'll ever be."

Janet handed Rick the Wanted poster. Rick studied it for a while.

"Alright," he put the poster in his pocket. "Where do we start?"

"The usual stagecoach route runs along the river three miles from here. That's a good place to start." Randy got on his horse and Janet did as well. 

"Sounds good," Rick said. "Lead the way."

\-----------


	3. Chapter 3

Cliff finished his breakfast and got some supplies for the way back. He went to the stables and got his horses. It was early afternoon when he left town.

He rode slowly. He knew the way and he had all the time in the world. After all noone was waiting for him. He tried to shake the thought of Rick being off doing his own thing. Cliff didn't mind. They weren't joined at the hip and it wasn't that unusual for them to do things seperately. 

But something about these stagecoach robberies seemed strange to him. So much though that he wished he could be there with him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he usually listened to his gut and it hadn't steered him wrong yet.

Well, he thought, nothing I can do now. And it's not like Rick was alone. Randy and Janet may not be the most agreeable people in the world, but there were very capable. 

Cliff rolled a cigarette and lit it. He took in his surroundings and started to enjoy the ride. This was beautiful country and the weather was mild. He looked back at his new horse and smiled. Rick had teased him about this one day, saying if it was up to Cliff they'd already have a stable of their own and wouldn't even need the bounty business anymore. Cliff had asked if that was such a bad thing and Rick had looked a bit surprised. He'd really meant it just as a joke and hadn't seriously thought about it. After a moment he'd shrugged and said "Maybe not."

Cliff had given it some thought and he'd come to the conclusion that owning a legitimate business like a livery stable would be a good way to make a living. Instead of dealing with sheriffs and town folk and degenerate killers he'd be dealing with horses which he'd greatly prefer. And he was sure Rick would do well as the business half of the team, talking to people, charming people, getting them to buy more than they needed.

Thing is they'd need money for something like this. So, there'd have to be at least a few more years of hunting scum.

After a few hours of riding without anything happening Cliff noticed a change in the horses' behaviour. The one he was riding moved his head up, ears back. The other one made a distressed noise and pulled at the reigns.

Cliff stopped. He let his hand fall near his gun and scanned the road before him. 

On a rock at the roadside in the shade of a tree he saw a small movement. He got the horses moving again. 

As he got closer he made out a young woman sitting there. Alone. In the middle of nowhere. Cliff was wary. Normally something like this didn't mean anything good. 

He stopped again and looked at her.

"Howdy."

"Hi, mister." She smiled. Looking like she didn't have a care in the world. Maybe she didn't.

"You ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, I don't know. You being out here in the wilderness all by yourself." He looked around. "Without a horse."

She shrugged. "Things have a way of working out. I mean, now I'm not alone anymore, am I?"

Cliff frowned. Something about her was bothering him, but he couldn't really name it. 

"I guess, that's true," he said. "What's your name?"

"Kitty."

Cliff raised his eyebrows. "Seriously?"

She shrugged again and smiled. "That's what people call me."

"Must be strange people."

For a brief moment she looked angry, but it was gone in an instant.

"They're wonderful people. Once you get to know them. What's your name, mister?"

"Cliff." 

"Well, Cliff. How about giving a young lady a ride home?"

"Depends. Where's home?"

"Just north of here. The Spahn pig farm near Meadow Lakes."

"That's quite a ride."

"You know it?" She seemed apprehensive. 

"Yeah, I do." It was quite a ride, but it was more or less on his way. And Cliff was curious. He knew George Spahn who owned that farm and he found it mighty strange that this woman called the farm her home. 

"Well? You gonna take me?" She smiled again and looked at his other horse. "Seems almost like fate seeing as you already have a second horse saddled up and all."

Cliff hesitated for a moment. He still had a bad feeling about this, but he needed to do this. Not despite the bad feeling, but because of it.

"Alright. Get on." He offered her the reigns.

Her face lit up and there was something almost predatory in her eyes. He'd definitely have to be careful here.

\-----------

"That coach should have been here by now." 

Rick lowered his binoculars and looked at Randy and Janet. They nodded.

Randy got up and went to his horse. "Let's go and follow the route backwards."

Janet followed and Rick got up as well. 

"I don't like this," Janet looked around. 

"You think we're being watched?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. I don't know." She took out the map and studied it for a while. "This is a strange place and the stagecoach robberies aren't the first unusual thing to happen around here lately." She looked at the map again. "Let's avoid the road and go west. There's a ridge from which we should be able to see a long stretch of the road."

"Alright, lead the way." 

Randy and Rick followed Janet. Rick wished Cliff was there with them. Cliff always had a very good sense of impending danger way before anyone else would notice anything. Randy and Janet were good, but over the last few years Rick had been amazed at what Cliff would pick up on that just went past other people.

He knew better than to say anything, though. Randy and Janet had made their position painfully clear and he didn't feel like discussing it all again. He also knew that they should focus all their attention on the task at hand, especially now when it seemed as though things were going wrong already.

They arrived at the ridge and took out their binoculars. They looked down at the road.

"Oh my god," Rick put down his binoculars. "Do you see that?"

Randy and Janet nodded. There was a stagecoach at the side of the road. No horses in sight and no sign of life.

"One of us should stay up here and keep watch," Rick said as he put his binoculars away. 

"I'll do it," Janet said. She kept scanning the road.

Rick and Randy rode down. Rick felt more uneasy the closer they got to the coach. They dismounted and walked towards the door. They both drew their guns. Rick looked at Randy. Randy nodded and Rick opened the door.

"Holy shit!" Rick stared inside the coach, unable to comprehend what he saw. 

"Fuck me!" Randy turned around and walked a few steps to the right, then turned around again, not sure what to do.

"Have you ever seen something like this?" 

Rick slowly shook his head. "Keep an eye out," he said as he took a closer look even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. 

There were four people in the coach. One man, two women and one child. All dead. Not just dead. Butchered. There was blood everywhere and it looked as though they'd been killed with knives not guns. 

Rick had seen a lot of fucked up stuff, but this was something else. 

"Rick," Randy yelled. "Come and look at this." 

Rick turned around. He walked towards Randy who was on the other side of the coach. 

"What the hell?"

The word 'pig' was painted across the side in blood. 

"Was there anything like this in the other robberies?"

"Not that I know of." 

Rick looked at the back of the coach. The luggage had been thrown on the ground and searched. There were dresses, shirts and shoes. And some toys. 

"This wasn't just a robbery," Randy said. He kept scanning their surroundings. 

"No," Rick agreed. "Whoever did this was making a statement. Though I have no idea what it's supposed to mean."

\-----------

"It's not much further." Kitty turned around and grinned at Cliff.

"Great." Cliff had been feeling uneasy about this from the start, but during their ride his unease had increased a lot. Something about the woman just wasn't right.

"You know, we could make a quick stop here and have some fun." 

Cliff blinked. Kitty looked back at him, waiting for an answer.

"Oh yeah?"

She smiled. And something about it almost made his blood run cold. It looked as though it didn't matter at all to her how he would respond. Like no matter what he did, she'd get what she was after.

"Yeah," she said. "I don't mind giving back a little for the ride home."

"Well, thanks. But no thanks," Cliff smiled back. "No need to give anything back. I don't mind helping people out of the goodness of my heart."

"Is that so?"

"Sure is."

"I offer you some fun and you say no?" 

"I believe that's what happened."

"You married?" She tried to sound like she was joking or teasing, but there was some anger underneath.

"Something like that."

"Well, she must be a lucky lady."

"I like to think so."

She looked at him as if trying to figure out if he was being serious. 

"Alright then." She shrugged. "The farm's right over that hill."

The rode the rest of the way in silence. Cliff knew this part of the country, but it had been years since he'd last been here. Once the farm came into view he felt his unease growing even more.

Years ago when he had last been here to see George the farm had looked well kept and clean. Now the fence was in a state of disrepair and some windows of the main house were boarded up. 

"Come on. I'll introduce you to everyone," Kitty said as they rode through the open gate.

In front of the barn Cliff made out some wagons, most of them broken. There was other debris lying around as well. A mangy dog was looking at them from the shadow of a tree, but didn't move. There were some horses around. They didn't look too good. Some had scars and they all looked underweight.

Near the main house there were some shacks and tents. Those hadn't been there the last time he'd seen George. This wasn't just a farm anymore. This looked like a small town. A dirty, run down and creepy as hell small town.

The door of the main house opened and three women walked out, one of them pregnant. She wore a dirty yellow dress. The other two wore pants and shirts. One of them had bright red hair, the other one wore a hat.

Kitty got off the horse and walked towards them.

Cliff stayed on his horse as he watched her greeting the other women.

"Kitty, we're so glad you're home." The red haired woman said.

"Thanks to my good friend Cliff here," Kitty said and pointed towards Cliff. The other women looked at him and smiled. Cliff raised his hand and smiled back. He didn't like this at all.

Kitty pointed at the pregnant woman. "This is Mary." Then at the one wearing the hat. "This is Sandy. And the red head is Squeaky." She looked at Cliff, probably waiting for him to make fun of the name. He just nodded.

"Where are Charlie and Tex?" Kitty looked around. "I want them to meet Cliff." She glanced at him and there was that predatory glint in her eyes. 

Sandy stepped forward. She looked at Cliff while she replied. "They're not here."

"Where are they?"

"On a job." 

"And the others?"

"Most of them went into town to get supplies. Bruce, John and Brooks went hunting."

Kitty pouted. "Oh, that's too bad. I really wanted Cliff to meet Charlie." She grinned at Cliff. "He'd really like you, I just know it."

"Well," Cliff scratched his head. "Maybe another time." He leaned forward a bit. "What about George?"

They all stiffened. Kitty glanced at the others.

"George?"

"George Spahn. The guy who owns this place. Where is he?"

Squeaky looked at Cliff. "He's in town with the others."

"Really?"

"Really." 

Cliff sighed. "I find that hard to believe."

"Do you?"

"Yes, I do." 

"And why's that?"

"George hates people. He never goes into town."

Cliff saw Mary walk back to the main house. Sandy followed her. Kitty went to stand next to Squeaky.

"Well, he is in town now." Both of them weren't smiling anymore. 

Cliff had no doubt that the others were about to get weapons from the house. He was good, but he didn't want to take on four people at once. At least four people, who knew how many more were still in that house.

"Well, I guess I'll have to take your word for it." He grabbed the reigns of the second horse. "I'll be on my way then."

"That's probably for the best." Squeaky glanced back at the house.

"Thanks for the ride." Kitty waved at him. "I'm sure I'll see you again soon."

Cliff nodded and rode back to the road, one hand on his gun. Nothing here was ok. There was no way George would take in a bunch of people and let them ruin his farm. And those wagons had been looted in robberies. Some of them might have been stagecoaches. 

The farm had to wait. George had to wait. Cliff needed to find Rick and make sure he was ok.

\-----------


	4. Chapter 4

"We should get out of here," Rick kept glancing around. He felt like they were being watched. 

"Yes." Randy turned and they sarted walking towards their horses. "We need to get to the nearest sheriff, let them know about this.

Rick nodded. The feeling of being watched kept getting stronger and stronger. He knew Janet was keeping watch, but everything about this felt wrong.

Before he could finish that thought he heard shots and Janet yelling at them to get out of there. 

Rick and Randy mounted their horses and rode towards Janet. 

"Shit! You see anything?" Rick had pulled his gun, but couln't make out the shooter. Or shooters.

"No." Randy was in front of him, glancing around. "Shit!"

A bullet his Randy's right forearm. His gun fell to the ground. More bullets went past Rick, close, but not hitting him. Rick frowned, this was strange. 

Then something did hit him. He felt a small sting at the back of his neck. He reached back and grabbed something. It was a small dart. Almost immediately Rick felt the world around him getting darker. His gun dropped from his hand. He couldn't keep upright anymore. 

"Randy," he said, but it was more like a whisper. 

In front of him Randy was holding his arm. There were still shots fired and he couldn't hear Rick.

Rick fought hard to stay awake, but it was no use. He felt his eyes falling shut. All sounds were muted and he started to slip. Everything turned black.

\-------------

Cliff was feeling more and more uneasy. He'd been riding for hours, forcing himself to keep an even pace. He didn't want to risk the horses getting too exhausted. But his patience was wearing thin. That display at the farm was unsettling to say the least and he was sure those freaks had something to do with those robberies.

He cursed himself for letting Rick go after them alone. Randy and Janet might be good, but Cliff wouldn't trust them with Rick's life. Not when dealing with people like these. This weren't just some random robberies. This was a pretty large gang at work.

It was night when he arrived back in town. He went straight to the Sheriff's office, hoping he'd know where they'd gone off to. He just needed a place to start.

Cliff secured the horses and walked right in.

"Those bounty hunters who were here this morning. Where did they go off to?"

Brady looked up at him.

"Oh great, it's you." 

"Yeah, it's me. You're more perceptive than I would have guessed. So, where are they?"

Brady narrowed his eyes. For a moment Cliff thought he wouldn't get an answer and he was already prepared to beat it out of the man. After a moment though Brady got up and walked over to a large map hanging on the wall. 

"The last robberies took place around here." He showed Cliff on the map. "Miller said that's where they would start." 

Brady went back to his desk. He got out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. He filled them up and handed one to Cliff.

Cliff frowned, but took it. 

"I told them it was a bad idea to go after them. It didn't end well for people who already did that."

"They got killed?" Cliff took a swig of whiskey.

"Some. Others just disappeared. Never to be heard from again."

"And nobody's been looking for them? Or trying to stop those bastards?"

Brady sighed. 

"Of course, we tried. But those robberies were few and far between. And this is big open country. You should know better than anyone how hard it is to look for someone who doesn't wanna be found."

Cliff finished his drink. He thought about telling Brady about the farm, but something stopped him. He couldn't exactly say what, but he'd learned to trust his gut. Better to keep this close to the vest.

"Thanks." He put the glass down. "I'll be on my way then."

Brady looked at him.

"You're going now? Don't you think it'd be better to wait till morning?"

"Those assholes had their fun for long enough. Time I had mine."

Cliff brought the second horse to the stables. He picked up some supplies and more ammo and went on his way. 

\-------------

Everything was dark. Rick slowly opened his eyes, but it was still dark. It took a while, then he could make out some shapes. He still didn't have a clear picture of his surroundings. Maybe a shed or a cellar. Hard to tell.

He sat up and winced. His head hurt and he felt nausous. He tried to remember what happened. He'd been looking for a bounty. Him and Cliff. No, not Cliff. That thought seemed wrong, it'd been him and Cliff for so long. Slowly he recalled meeting up with Randy and Janet. Right. The stagecoaches. He frowned. There'd been bodies and then. Then there'd been shots and they were riding away. Randy'd been in front of him. And then. He shook his head. He couldn't remember. 

"You ok?"

Rick almost jumped. He wasn't alone in here. Wherever in here was.

"I think so." He tried to make out the other person, but it was too dark. It had sounded like a woman's voice.

"How about you?"

"Other than being trapped here I'm ok." The voice sounded a bit amused.

"I'm Rick."

"Nice to meet you, Rick. I'm Sharon."

"Nice to meet you. So, where exactly are we?"

"I'm not really sure. I came to here just the same as you only a few days ago."

"Are there more people trapped here?" 

"Not that I know of."

Rick got up and started moving around the room. He wanted to get a sense of what they were dealing with here.

"I already checked. The only way out is the door to your right and it's locked."

"I just need to get my bearings." Rick looked around and saw that the bit of light that got in came from small boarded up window just below the ceiling. Only an inch or so wasn't covered. So a cellar it was.

"Has anyone been in here? Talked to you?"

"The come once a day and bring some food, but they don't talk. Though, to be fair I haven't asked them anything."

"Why's that?"

"I don't negociate with scum."

That made Rick smile.

"And what is it that you do with scum?"

"Depends on whether they're wanted dead or alive."

"I see." Rick's eyes had adjusted a bit to the darkness and he made a mental note of the layout. "Is there anyone that might be coming for you?"

There was a pause. Rick waited.

"My partner. If he's still alive." For the first time Sharon sounded scared. But she seemed to shake it off quickly. "What about you?"

"I was with two other bounty hunters before they got me. I'm pretty sure they got away. And then there's my partner. Once he realizes that I'm missing he'll get here."

"That doesn't sound too bad then."

"It really doesn't."

Rick wasn't as confident as he made it sound. It was true that he believed Randy and Janet had gotten away. But he had no way of knowing for sure. And he had no way of knowing if they'd manage to find him. He was absolutely sure that Cliff would leave no stone unturned in his search for him. But realistically he knew that this was a big country. And people disappeared all the time.

\-----------

It was almost morning when Cliff arrived in the area Brady had pointed out. He saw some tracks and followed them. It looked like two riders had made their way up into the mountains. He frowned. It should be three, he thought.

\----------

"Ow, damnit!"

"Oh, be quiet. You're lucky the bullet went straight through."

"Yeah, thanks. I'm feeling real lucky." Randy looked at his arm. Janet had bandaged it up and he was relived to find that he could actually move it.

"We have to find Rick." Janet handed him the whiskey. 

Randy drank and nodded. 

"I know we do."

"What the hell do you mean, find Rick?"

Randy and Janet turned around, guns in their hands. 

Cliff walked towards them, utterly unimpressed.

"I asked you a question. Where the hell is he?"

Randy slowly lowered his gun and motioned for Janet to do the same.

"Now, calm down. We were ambushed. Rick was right behind me. And suddenly he wasn't. We were on our way looking for him."

"Any idea who ambushed you?"

"We're pretty sure it was the stagecoach robbers." Janet put away her gun and pulled out the map. "Take a look."

They stood together bent over the map.

"This is where we found another robbed stagecoach." Janet hesitated.

"What?" Cliff didn't like the way she avoided his eyes.

"Robbed may not be the best word," Randy said. "The people inside were massacred. We've never seen anything like it."

Cliff felt his stomach drop. He knew that he could trust his gut, but in this case he would have loved to be wrong for once. 

"Take me to that coach. I wanna have a look." 

"Alright." Randy looked at Cliff. He saw genuine worry and it somehow unnerved him. This didn't really match his idea of Cliff. But this could wait. They started packing up.

"How did you find us?"

"I'm good at what I do, that's how. And now hurry up."

"Shit." Cliff looked at the stagecoach. Flies had gathered and the smell was pretty bad. He inspected the word 'pig' written on the side. This was bad. The wrecks on that farm didn't seem to have had any writing on them, but he couldn't be sure. He'd only seen them from a distance. He frowned. And they hadn't taken this one. They'd just left it. 

"Any writing on the other ones?"

Randy shook his head.

"Not that I know of. And I'm sure people would have talked about it."

"You hear about coaches disappearing?"

"Why?"

"Yes or no?"

"Well, no. But I didn't really do that much research. We came across the Wanted poster, talked briefly to the Sheriff and that was it. He told us that strange things were going on, but, well, I've heard that before. I thought this was just about some robberies. Brutal robberies maybe but nothing weird like this." Randy looked at Janet. She shrugged.

"You wanna see where they ambushed us?"

"Sure."

Cliff knelt and looked down. The ground was rocky. He could make out some hoofprints, but not enough to get a lot of information. There wasn't any blood, though. Apart from a few drops which were most likely Randy's. So, that was good.

He got up again.

"Show me that Wanted poster."

Randy handed it over and Cliff looked at it. One of the guys was called Tex. He frowned and handed the poster back.

"Ok, I know what I'm gonna do now." He looked at Randy and Janet. "You with me?"

They both nodded.

"No reservations because of my morals or reputation or character in general?"

"Well, plenty of reservations, actually." Janet narrowed her eyes. "But Rick is our friend and we want him back. So, we're gonna do everything we can."

Cliff nodded.

"I think I know where we could start looking." He went to his horse. "I'll fill you in on the way."

\-----------

"How exactly did they get you?" Rick was leaning against the wall. Sharon was sitting next him. They shared a cigarette. He'd been relieved to find that they hadn't taken everything from him.

"Jay, my partner, and I had heard about some folks going missing around here. We didn't have anything else to work on at the moment and decided to check out the area where a young man had last been seen. Something hit me and I blacked out." She took a deep drag and handed the cigarette back to Rick. "How about you?"

"I met some friends who'd heard about stagecoach robberies. We figured it was worth a look. We came across a stage filled with massacred passengers and then we got ambushed."

"So, we heard about people gone missing and you heard about robberies and we ended up at the same place." 

"Save to assume those two are related, I'd say."

"Yeah," Sharon shifted, trying to get more comfortable. "I think it's also save to assume that we're dealing with a big group of people. This isn't something just two or three could pull off."

"Yeah. I guess- " Rick stopped talking when he heard footsteps approaching.

\-----------


	5. Chapter 5

Rick and Sharon looked at each other. The steps got closer, but stopped.

"Hey, get over here. They're back," a woman yelled from further away.

The sound of footsteps started up again, this time moving away from them.

"What did they find out?"

"Not sure. Apparantly someone else came looking. And he...-" The voices were too far away now to make out anything more.

"What could they be talking about?" Sharon asked after slowly exhaling.

"I'm not sure," Rick answered. Part of him hoped they were talking about Cliff, but there really wasn't enough information to go by. And he didn't want to inspire false hope. For Sharon or for himself.

"This partner of yours," Sharon must have read his mind. "He's good?"

"He's the best." Rick answered too quickly and immediately felt like an idiot. Good thing it was dark in here.

"Well, that's good then." Sharon sounded amused.

"Yeah." 

Rick wished he could actually be as confident as he wanted to be right now. If Cliff was here he would call him a damn pessimist. But he wasn't here and that was the problem. I should never have agreed to do this without him, he thought. I should have learned by now that other people's opinions were less important than Cliff. He sighed. It was no use pondering that now. If Cliff was here- Stop it, he told himself. But his thoughts reminded him of the fact that it had been the two of them for a long time now. And it had been working.

Ever since that first job they did together after that whole Paley deal had finally been over they'd mostly been inseperable. Everything they did during their first job just worked perfectly. Maybe it was the way they'd learned to work together during their escape. Maybe they were just two puzzle pieces that fit. Maybe both.

There'd been times, of course when things hadn't worked out perfectly. That one time when they'd delivered their bounty and got jumped outside the saloon after way too many celebratory drinks. Well, Rick had gotten jumped. He'd been the first out the door and had a bottle smashed against his head. He'd gone down instantly, blacking out for a moment. It could have only been a moment, because when he'd come to, he'd still been in the exact same spot and so had everyone else on the street. Except for Cliff. And the guy who'd hit Rick. 

That guy had been on the ground with Cliff on top of him, beating his face in until it was just a bloody pulp. Noone was trying to stop it. Noone dared. They all stood around frozen in shock and maybe in awe.

Rick had managed to get on his feet somehow. He'd stumbled up to Cliff and had put his hand on his shoulder. Cliff had turned around quickly with murder in his eyes. But then he'd recognized Rick.

"You alive?" Cliff had sounded unsure. He'd been drinking quite a lot and Rick realized at that moment that Cliff hadn't checked on him because he'd thought that guy had killed him.

"I'm fine," Rick had said, even though that hadn't really been true. His head hurt like hell and he felt as though he was about to throw up. 

Cliff had gotten up, not sparing a glance for the man on the ground. He'd gently checked the cut on the side of Rick's head. 

At that moment nothing had been real for Rick except Cliff. Not the crowd that had gathered, not the half dead man on the ground, not any strange looks they may have been receiving. 

He'd felt safe.

"Yeah," Rick repeated. "He's good." 

\-------------

"So, you think that farm might be their base of operations?" Randy glanced over at Cliff. He still didn't like the guy, but he had to admit that he'd found out a lot of stuff during the short time he'd been looking. He was good at what he did. But then again, he'd never doubted that.

"Yeah, pretty sure. I just had a really bad feeling there. Not just because of the coaches. I don't know, the people seemed strange. Like they were playing their very own game. It was like looking into another world, you know." Cliff tried to explain why that farm had felt so wrong, but found that words failed to express what he meant. 

He was also really distracted by his thoughts about Rick. He was furious at himself for letting Rick go on alone. Well, not alone, but without him. On the one hand he knew that Rick was a grown man and had gotten along just fine all those years before they met. But still. The mere thought of losing Rick was just too much. Because truth be told, he hadn't gotten along just fine all those years before they'd met. For Cliff all those years had been bad at worst and empty and bland at best. There'd been no good years. Good had only started once Rick had entered the picture.

"Why didn't you tell the sheriff about it?" Janet asked.

Cliff didn't aswer right away. Truth is, he wasn't sure. Something about that man just didn't seem right.

"I just don't trust him," he finally said, expecting an argument. But neither Randy nor Janet said anything. They probably figured after everything he was doing something right and deserved some trust.

They rode on for a while.

"Alright," Cliff said, stopping his horse. "We're almost there. Let's leave the horses here. We can go through the woods and approach the farm from the side. The terrain is higher there, should give us a good view."

\------------

"What the hell-" Rick wasn't able to finish his thought. Footsteps were approaching again, more this time and faster. 

The door opened and three men walked in. On aimed his gun at Sharon, one aimed at Rick and the other grabbed Rick and pulled him to his feet.

"Don't do anything stupid or you're dead." 

Rick forced himself to stay calm while the man tied his hands behind his back. He looked over at Sharon who looked ready to fight. Rick slowly shook his head. This wasn't the moment to do anything. She nooded slightly.

The man shoved Rick outside. The others followed. They made their way up the stairs and outside. Rick blinked when he was suddenly confronted with the bright sun light. He slowed down and that earned him a rough shove.

"Move!"

Rick looked around. They were on a farm. A farm that had seen better days. There was a lot of garbage lying around and tents everywhere. Great, must be quite a few people living here, he thought. That didn't bode well for an escape. He also thought he could see some stage coaches, but wasn't able to take a closer look. They marched him to the main house and shoved him inside.

"Sit down!" A short, skinny looking man sat across from him at a table. Rick sat down awkwardly. It wasn't exactly comfortable with his hands still tied behind his back. The men who'd brought him left. There was a red headed woman standing in the corner, though, aiming a shotgun at him.

The man looked at him for a while and then he smiled. Rick shuddered inwardly. For one the man's teeth looked horribly dirty. But more than that there was something in his eyes that Rick didn't like at all. He'd seen it before. It was rare, but nevertheless real. This man had either lost his grip on reality or he was about to.

"Do you know who I am?" He sounded amused. As if no matter what the answer may be, he would get what he wanted out of Rick.

"Should I?" His reply was only in part confrontational. He actually had no idea. He'd thought about it a lot and talked about it with Sharon, but they couldn't really make sense out of any of this.

The man stared at him for a bit longer, the smile still in place.

"No, I suppose not. I suppose it's a good thing you have no idea. You and any other self proclaimed do gooders out there." The man took out a knife and started cleaning his nails with it. "We've been careful for a reason," he continued. "Doing what we do without leaving too much of a trace.

"And what exactly is it that you do?" 

The man looked up again.

"What do you think it is?"

"At first I figured you were doing robberies." Rick thought back to the stagecoach with all those butchered people inside. "Then I figured you must be some truly sick bastards who finally snapped."

He expected anger, maybe even a violent outburst, but the man just shrugged.

"I'm not surprised you don't understand. Most people won't understand. At first."

Rick felt a spike of dread. This didn't sound good. The man continued.

"But we're doing important work, you know. Making the world be ready for what comes next. For what's inevitable."

Great, just great. Nothing like the ramblings of a mad man, Rick thought. He figured his best bet was to keep that guy talking, maybe gain some information that was actually, well, information.

"And what is it that's coming?" He asked, trying hard not to roll his eyes.

"A new world, of course."

"A new world." Rick kept his voice carefully neutral.

"Yes, a new world. A world where corrupt pigs like sheriffs and bounty hunters don't hunt people like animals."

"And in order to do that you have to slaughter people like animals. Sure, makes sense."

Again Rick expected the man to get angry, but again he seemed unfazed. 

"Change demands sacrifice," he just said.

\-------------

Cliff, Randy and Janet were pressed flat on the ground looking through binoculars at the farm. They'd seen Rick being escorted over to the main house and it had taken everything in Cliff not to storm down there immediately. He knew that would be suicide. There were a lot people on that farm, way more than there had been during his first visit. 

At least he's still alive, he thought. The relief he'd felt seeing Rick up and around had lifted a big weight from his chest. But this wasn't over. It would only be over once was Rick was with him again, safe and sound.

"Son of a bitch!" Randy was hissing. 

Cliff followed his gaze and saw what he saw. Sheriff Brady was walking towards the main house as well. 

"Goddamn bastard, I knew there was something wrong about that guy," Cliff said.

"Well, you were right," Randy said. "Good thing you didn't tell him about the farm."

Cliff lowered the binoculars and shook his head.

"Yeah, figued it was best to keep that to myself."

"Good thinking," Janet said. She lowered her binoculars as well and looked at Cliff. 

"Yeah, but it won't do much good, I'm afraid. If Brady is here now, they're gonna figure out that guy who brought the girl back and the bounty hunter looking for his partner are the same person."

Janet nodded. 

"So, what are we gonna do now?"

"We have to get him out of there as soon as possible, but it won't be easy. There are too many people down there to just run in guns blazing." 

"Maybe we can go in and get him out tonight." Randy checked the bandage on his arm. It didn't hurt all that much anymore, but it sure limited his movement. 

"I guess," Cliff murmered.

He didn't like any of this, but it seemed like the only way. 

\------------


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took a while, but here's a new chapter. This insists on getting longer than I'd initially thought.
> 
> There's torture in this chapter.

Rick was feeling more and more on edge. The man in front of him hadn't said anything for the past couple of minutes. He'd just continued to clean his nails with knife, acting as if he was alone in the room. 

There were voices outside and someone entered. Rick tried to turn around and see who it was, but he couldn't get a good look. 

"Charlie, there's someone here who needs to to talk to you." 

The man, Charlie, looked up. He seemed annoyed. He'd probably been enjoying stressing Rick out. 

"I'm busy," he said in a tone that didn't leave any room for discussion.

"This is important." 

Now there was actual anger in Charlie's eyes. He got up and put his knife away.

"It better be," he said. He turned to the woman in the corner. "Watch him. One wrong move and you make sure he ain't walking for a while." He looked back at Rick. "Or ever again."

He followed the other man outside.

Rick shifted in his chair. He tried to make out what was being said outside, but the voices were muffled and he couldn't make sense out of the few words he could understand.

He looked at the woman with the shotgun. She seemed bored. She was also very young.

"Is this what you do, then? Kidnapping people?"

She looked at him, an unreadable expression on her face.

"You don't understand anything."

"Well, you're all doing a shit job of explaining any of this nonsense."

Her eyes widened and for a moment Rick was expecting her to get angry. But then she smiled.

"Maybe you're just too dumb to see what's right in front of you."

"Right in front of me is a woman in dirty clothes holding a shotgun while I'm sitting here with my wrists bound. Sure looks like kidnapping to me."

"This is just the beginning."

"The beginning of what?" 

"He told you."

"The new world?"

She nodded.

"Yeah, see, I don't know what that means."

"You will."

Rick sighed. There was no point. This was a weird cult and they only talked in cryptic phrases and tired clichés. He doubted they even understood it all themselves. For some reason that Charlie fellow had a hold over these people. Maybe he'd helped them before or was just really good at telling people what they wanted to hear. Either way, he'd accumulated quite a following and it would be wrong to underestimate that.

\--------------

"Shit!"

"What's happening?"

"Some guy came out of the house they brought Rick in and is now talking to the Sheriff." Cliff had to force himself to relax. His fingers had turned white where he was holding the binoculars.

"Fuck, we have to do something." Janet put down her binoculars and looked at Randy. He shrugged.

"We really can't. Going in at night is pretty much our only option. Right, Cliff?" He sounded like he was hoping Cliff had another suggestion. But Cliff just nodded.

"I'm afraid so."

\-------------

Rick sat up straighter, trying to minimize the pain in his shoulders and wrists. He heard the door open and Charlie came back in. He sat down at the table again. 

"So, I hear you have someone looking for you."

Rick's heart started pounding, but he forced himself to remain calm. He'd had years of practice in appearing unconcerned and sure of himself when he actually was anything but.

"That so?" He looked Charlie in the eyes, not flinching.

Charlie's hand moved up from under the table and he put the knife down in front of him.

"Yeah, that's so." He paused, watching Rick carefully. "Your partner is looking for you." 

Rick tried very hard not to react. He couldn't be sure, he succeeded. So, Cliff was looking for him. He'd been afraid Cliff would make it all the way home and only then notice that something was wrong. He was relieved to learn that wasn't the case. But it also made him wonder what had prompted Cliff to turn around.

"I haven't seen him in a while, so I wouldn't know anything about that." He paused. "I do feel a bit sorry for you, though."

There was surprise on Charlie's face. For the first time he showed a genuine human emotion that he wasn't in control of and Rick almost had to laugh at that.

"You should feel sorry for him. But first for yourself." 

Charlie picked up the knife and got up. He walked towards Rick until he was towering above him.

"How would he get you out of here?"

"I don't even know where here is, so, no idea."

"Don't play stupid. You know what I mean. What would he do? How does he think?"

This time Rick actually laughed.

"If you knew him you'd realize how stupid that question is."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. I don't know how he thinks. Noone does. I guess, you'll just have to wait and find out."

Rick was expecting the punch, but it still almost knocked him off his chair. His ears were ringing and he tasted blood.

"You're gonna tell me."

Rick sighed. The thing was, he wasn't actually lying. It was true that he knew Cliff better than anyone, but predicting his thoughts or strategic moves in tough situations wasn't an easy thing. There were too many variables. In this case Cliff most likely had more information about the layout of this place than Rick did at this point. And he often thought of things Rick wouldn't have considered. That's why they worked so well together.

"I ain't telling you shit. I'm sick of this bullshit."

Another punch. And another. This time Rick did fall off his chair. He gunted when his head bounced off the floor. His shoulders were on fire.

Charlie looked down at him. He didn't seem mad. After a few moments he gave Rick a kick in the stomach. Then he waited. A few moments later another kick. 

After a few moments and knelt down and held the knife under Rick's left eye. 

"Tomorrow I'll ask you again. And you better have something to say then. Pig." 

He got up and grabbed Rick by his jacket. His pushed him down on the chair and got some more rope. He tied Rick to the chair with his hands pressed behind him. It was pure agony. And yet the word 'pig' out of that man's mouth was the most distressing thing that had happened. Rick still had the image of that stagecoach in his head and he was pretty sure he'd have that forever.

"Good night," Charlie said. He pettet Rick's hair. 

"Get out. Tell Tex to keep watch outside."

The woman nodded and left. Charlie gave him one last look and left as well.

Rick spat some blood on the floor. This was gonna be a long night.

\------------

It was finally dark. Cliff went to his horse and loaded up on weapons.

"Ok, listen. They haven't taken Rick back to that other building, so he must still be in the house. I'm taking out the guards and then get him." He pointed at Randy and Janet. "I want you to check out that the other building. Maybe there are other people held prisoner in there. We need to get them out."

"Are you ok to take the house on your own?" Janet asked. 

"I'll be just fine," Cliff said, he was restless, he wanted to go and get Rick back now. But he knew they had to be careful and do this right. "Be quiet when you take out the guards. You got knives?"

"Yeah." Randy nodded. He hesitated for a moment. "Don't worry, we'll get him back."

Cliff pressed his lips together.

"Ok, let's get going then."

\-----------

Rick blinked. He was so tired and he felt a bit sick. Those punches to the head and the fall had done more damage than he'd initially thought. He knew he shouldn't fall asleep, but being awake for hours and hours while everything hurt so much wasn't exactly a great option, either. 

It was dark in the room, there was a bit of light coming in through the window. There were some laterns ouside, probably for the guards.

Rick was really hoping Cliff would be there soon and get him out. Him and Sharon. He sure hoped she hadn't gotten the same treatment as he had.

Suddenly there were noises outside. Only very faint, but Rick was sure he heard them, some grunts and something that sounded like a body being dropped. That happened a few times. He kept listening and tried not to get his hopes up. For all he knew that might just be a tactic by these sick bastards.

He heard the door behind him opening and steps slowly getting closer.

"Rick?" Just a small whisper, but it was the best thing he'd ever heard in his life. Cliff. That was Cliff. He'd found him.

"Y-yeah, I'm h-here." Shit, he thought. The stutter was worrying, but they didn't have time for that now.

"Thank god." Cliff came over, fast but still very quiet. He cut the ropes and helped Rick to his feet. He tried to take a look at him, but it was tough in the dark. 

"Are you ok?" Cliff carefuly touched Rick's temple. There was some half dried blood. And he hadn't missed the stutter. Rick only did that if he wasn't fully in control and it took a lot for him to be that way.

"I'm fine. I- We need- Cliff, there's this woman, Sharon, we have t-to get her out of here." 

"Don't worry, Randy and Janet are looking for her."

"They're here?" Rick frowned.

"I'll explain everything. We need to get out of here first. There are too many of these sick fucks around." Cliff found that he couldn't really take his hands off Rick. It was as if he was so glad to have found him that he now was incapable of ever letting him go again. But he knew he had to. For now.

"Can you walk?" 

Rick nodded. 

"Ok, take this." Cliff handed Rick a knife. "Stay behind me."

They crouched down and made their way out of the house. Two dead guards were on the ground right next to the door. Another one was lying a few feet away. 

"Come on," Cliff whispered. They walked past the barn and the row of tents with probably lots of sleeping people inside. 

Rick had trouble concentrating, but he managed to keep up with Cliff. 

They finally left the ranch and walked up a steep hill. They went on for a while and Rick was so focused on keeping up that he didn't notice when Cliff stopped and bumped into him.

"Ow, what are you d-doing?"

"Well, we're here. So I stopped." Rick almost cried with relief. That was the tone Cliff was using when things started turning out for the better. He was making stupid jokes, so maybe the worst was over. Before he could finish that thought he was pulled into a hug. Rick hugged back immedialtely. Finally feeling at ease for the first time since they spotted that damn stagecoach.

"I'm so glad you're ok," Cliff said and kissed him. Rick kissed him back and allowed himself to just enjoy this moment. There was still a lot to do and worry about, but not right now.

"You really ok?" Cliff pulled back and looked at Rick again.

"Yeah, I mean, I got hit on the head a few t-times. So I've been b-better." 

Cliff went over to the horses and got some water. 

"Drink," he said. He also handed him a chocolate bar, something to get some energy fast, because this wasn't over yet.

They heard footsteps. Cliff drew his gun and went to stand in front of Rick. 

"Don't shoot, it's us." 

Randy and Janet were walking up the hill and there was a woman following them.

"Sharon?" Rick got up and took a few steps forward.

"Yeah, it's me. Your friends found me."

"Randy, Janet, I'm so glad you're ok!"

"Same here," Randy walked up to Rick. "I'm sorry, buddy. So sorry they got you."

"Wasn't your fault." Rick didn't actually know that, his memory was quite fuzzy, but he knew them well enough to believe and say it.

Janet gave Sharon something to eat and to drink.

"Who's this?" Cliff looked from Rick to Sharon and back again.

"That's Sharon, another bounty hunter they kidnapped." Rick nodded at Cliff. "This is Cliff, my partner."

"Nice to meet you, Cliff." Sharon smiled and held out her hand. Cliff hesitated for a moment, her friendliness clearly taking him by surprise. Then he shook her hand.

"Likewise," he said.

"We need to get out of here." Janet stowed their weapons. "Nobody woke up, but it's only a matter of time before someone does."

"We can't let them get away with what they're doing," Cliff said, looking at the blood on Rick's face.

"Of course not. But Rick and Randy are hurt and we don't know how many of them are down there. We need to retreat and make a proper plan."

"She's right," Rick said. "I spoke t-to their, well, leader, I g-guess and-" He shook his head. "There's s-some fucked up shit going on there. We have to b-be careful here."

"Ok, where do we go?"

"I know a place not far from here," Sharon said. "I need to go there anyway to get supplies. I have to find my partner. If he's still alive."

Cliff nodded.

"Alright, lead the way."

\-------------

**Author's Note:**

> My knowledge about bounty hunting in the wild west is limited and I'm making some things up to fit my story. I'm sure 1950s tv-show writers did the same.


End file.
